1) We believe that young people have been impacted negatively by the mass media in all forms. We do not, however, dismiss or denigrate popular culture. We try to use it against itself by exposing contradictions. We do not offer solutions or resolutions, but alternative ways of thinking and acting.
2) Since we are not with the children all the time, we try to take a modest view of what we can accomplish in our year-long program. We know that we cannot fully change their lives, and we do not want to play the role of therapist. But we do know that we can touch their lives. We want to engage teachers and children to animate them, to set them on a path of self-discovery, to provide skills, to strengthen self-confidence. Without their desire and will, we cannot accomplish our goals. In the process, we learn as much about ourselves and capabilities as they do.
3) Though we have focused on the elementary school, our work is not limited to a specific, grade, level, or school. The techniques that we use to animate and to focus on storytelling as a means to enable people to become storytellers of their lives are flexible and can be used with children, students, and adults in preschools, high schools, universities, and other institutions. We do not believe in one-time workshops, seminars or performances. They can perhaps be useful. Primarily, we seek to build community which means that our work is long-term, and that we are concerned about involving children, parents, teachers, administrators, actor/educators, and friends in a creative process that at times may even test the conception and self-conception of the institutions within which we work. Our emphasis is on social and individual transformation and building bridges between people and communities through creative play.
Collaboration & Transformation
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The Neighborhood Bridges Program 
